WestBay SonShip was started in 1959, by Bernardus Vermeulen who emigrated from the Netherlands to western Canada with his wife in hopes for a bright future. He had $52 in his pocket when he landed in Vancouver, Canada. Over the next several years, Ben Vermeulen worked in the steel business, fabricating and erecting structural components for the Pacific Northwest's burgeoning construction industry. Eventually, he saw an opportunity in the boat building business and set up West Bay Boat Builders, a small operation on the south bank of the Fraser River in Delta, British Columbia. The year was 1967. Even before Vermeulen had finished his first shed, a local contractor walked through the door with a set of drawings from the board of Ed Monk, Sr., and a request for a good boat. Shortly thereafter, there were calls for fishing boats, small steel tugs and refurbishing of wooden pleasure boats. Later, the company would use its expertise with fast crew boats to build law enforcement agency patrol boats and ultimately, luxury yachts. In the 1970s, fiberglass boats were becoming more in demand. Vermeulen soon realized fiberglass was a material ideally suited to the extraordinary demands of Northwest winters. Sensing the importance of this trend, a new phase of construction started at West Bay. Today, West Bay encompasses over six and a half acres in Delta, B.C., a far cry from the original roadside yard built more than 35 years ago. There are more than 65,000 square feet of covered space in six buildings, the largest of which is 200 feet by 65 feet that can easily accommodate vessels up to 160 feet in length. A seventh building is under construction (as of January, 2003), which will add a further 35,100 square feet of production space. The added space will ensure the company is well positioned to meet growing demand for its products. And where only 60 employees labored in 1994, over 375 employees now operate two shifts. An additional staff of 15 builds hulls and decks in the company's leased facility in Bellingham, Washington, under the same roof that once sheltered Uniflyte's original yard. Each member of the family is involved with the company on a daily basis. Although semi-retired, Ben remains active in the company. The Vermeulens are committed to the engineering process as well. West Bay's in house design staff have access to the latest CAD tools with which to deliver the best possible design and engineering for West Bay boats. The suite of software includes AutoCad 2002 and SolidWorks, and details are produced for all departments, including joinery. Because performance is a critical element in West Bay's boat building philosophy, the engineering department constantly monitors the weight and balance of each boat through the construction process. West Bay SonShip Yachts' line of luxury motor yachts includes the West Bay SonShip 50 pilothouse; the SonShip 58 pilothouse; SonShip 68 pilothouse; SonShip 78 pilothouse; SonShip 87 pilothouse; and the SonShip 107 pilothouse. West Bay’s yacht construction complex includes over 100,000 sq. ft. of climate-controlled design, office and production space on 6.5 acres of land, with a full service shipyard including concrete floats and a floating boathouse, and a 250 ton marine ways. Facilities include a 35,100 sq. ft. F-1 class building, completed in mid-2003, that serves as West Bay’s principal fiberglass shop. West Bay SonShip Yachts is located on the south shore of the South Arm of the Fraser River in Delta, British Columbia, Canada.